Rescuing the President
by Rufus-sama
Summary: My take on how the Turks rescued Rufus from the tower after WEAPON's attack. T for swear words, all from Reno of course. A couple of cute moments with Dark Nation...Ch. 1 to 3 have been edited R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own them, wish I did...

Boredom caused this, hopefully it's good! Please R&R.

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'How in the hell are we supposed to survive that fucking thing?'

Elena looked up to see what Reno was looking at. 'If we stay here Reno of course we won't survive it. We just have to get the hell out of its way before Meteor decides to fall on our heads.'

'Ok, so let's get the hell out of here then.' Reno began to turn away from the meteor but stopped mid-stride. 'Shit! We can't leave now!'

Elena was slightly puzzled at his sudden willingness to stay in a place he was more then happy to run from only moments before. 'Why?'

'What the hell do you mean why? Are you having another blonde moment or something?' Elena slowly backed away from him. _That's it _she thought to herself, _he's officially lost his mind._

'Reno calm down. First you want to run, and then you want to stay. Just tell the rookie why you decided to go psycho now of all times.' Rude was, naturally, annoyed by the bickering that the two of them seemed to enjoy so much. He wanted to get away from ground zero as quickly as possible.

'Rude! You know why! Damnit you tell her.'

'All of you stop your bickering and do something productive. Now is not the time to be insulting each other.'

Three heads looked up at the same time; three sets of eyes all had the same look of shock on their face and the same words came out of the three mouths at once. 'Tseng?'

'Yes, that would be me. Why are you so surprised to see me?' Tseng smiled slightly at the reactions he received from his co-workers.

'You were skewered, sir. You should be resting or at least moving around as little as possible.'

Tseng nodded his head. 'Thank you for your concern Elena. However, I have sufficiently recovered to be given clearance to move about as I see fit. It's amazing what meteria treatments do for you.' Turning to the other two, he asked 'What is it that the three of you were discussing before I arrived?'

Rude nudged Reno which meant that he would have to explain it to their boss. 'Well sir, I suggested that we leave here before Meteor decides to crash on our heads. I then realized that we couldn't leave here until we checked one place out first. If what we're looking for isn't there, then we can leave and help evacuate people in the process. Elena just got upset with me because I wanted to leave, and then changed my mind.'

'I see. Do you have any idea what it is that Reno wants to look for Elena?'

'Not a clue sir.'

'President Rufus was in his office at the time of the explosion.'

Elena's eyes widened at the thought of the President still trapped in his office. She then fell silent and looked down to the ground.

''Ok, so you clued into what I meant and then you get all dramatic. What the hell did I miss?' _Women are so damn confusing!_

'There's no way that the President survived that explosion Reno, there's just none. Even if he did survive the initial blast, it's been about an hour at least since the explosion. I doubt even he could survive that long with the injuries he must have sustained.'

Reno shook his head in disbelief and anger at Elena. 'So that's it? You'd just leave him there? What the hell kind of person are you? That's your boss up there Elena. That's my friend dying up there. It's Rude's friend, it's Tseng's friend and fuck if you would have had the time to get to know him, he'd be your friend too.'

'I'm not leaving him up there to rot and suffer because he _might_ be dead. It's our job to protect him remember? We failed obviously, but I'm not going to let him down even more by leaving him up there to die alone. If he's dead, I'll never forgive myself for not being there when he needed us, but I'll be sure that he at least gets the proper burial that he deserves. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a building to go to and a President to save.' Reno tried his best to regain his composure then made his way to the now destroyed Shinra building.

Elena was dumbfounded. Never had she heard Reno speak about something with more fervor and determination. She turned to the two remaining Turks 'You two think the same as Reno?'

Rude nodded yes as did Tseng. 'If we hurry, the President could still survive, assuming that the initial blast didn't kill him. Are you coming Elena?'

'Yes Tseng, I'm coming.' Even though Elena didn't really know Rufus very well, she had the feeling that he was a nicer guy then people thought. If he was as much of an ass as they claim, he wouldn't have such loyal guard and friends, that would be willing to risk their lives for him.


	2. Chapter 2

When the three Turks arrived at the base of the Shinra building, they were shocked to see the damage it had sustained. The building itself looked more like a house of cards ready to collapse rather then the headquarters of a mega conglomerate. They made their way to Reno, who was talking with a rescue worker.

'Have you gone up to the President's office yet?' The worker shook his head no. 'What do you mean no? Fine, I'll go up there myself. Give me that radio, I'll let you know when I find him and how badly injured he is.' 

'Sir, it's really not stable up there; it could collapse at any time. We're clearing the debris so that we can get a clear path up to where the President's body is. We will…'

Reno's icy glare stopped the worker in mid-sentence. 'What do you mean "the President's body?" No one even knows if he's dead or alive!'

'I understand sir, but what I mean is…' 

'Never mind your explanations. Just give me the damn radio and I'll call when I find him.' The worker hesitantly handed Reno the radio, still convinced that it was the President's dead body that they were going to recover. Reno then tried to proceed to the tower but was stopped by a strong hand on his shoulder.

'What the fuck? I'm going up that tower whether you so-called "rescue" workers want me to or not.'

'I'm not a rescue worker Reno.'

Reno turned towards the voice and looked down at his partner's hand still on his shoulder. 'What? Are you going to tell me not to go up there either?'

'No Reno, I'm not going to tell you that.' Rude removed his hand from Reno's shoulder, then removed his shades. 'I'm going up there with you and we're going to get Rufus out of there. I don't care what they say, we're going to rescue him and he's going to be ok.'

Reno didn't remember the last time he saw so much determination, hope and a small amount of fear in his partner's eyes.

'Alright partner, lets go get him out of there. Worst case, if we can't get him out ourselves, we'll just clear up a path to his office for them to get him out.'

Rude put his glasses back on and followed Reno into the now destroyed building. Making their way to the top of the building was slightly dangerous to say the least; shards of glass marred the floor, ruined furniture and other debris were scattered about, not to mention the electrical wires that were shorting out on practically every floor. They managed to clear a reasonably sized path to the President's door, in front of which they now stood.

'Hey Rude? Any idea how the hell this stupid wall is still up given that this floor was basically ground zero for that damn blast?'

Rude shrugged 'Beats me. I've given up trying to figure out anything that's been happening lately, it's all too weird. Ready to see what's behind the door?'

Reno nodded 'Yeah, now or never huh?' He turned the doorknob but the door wouldn't budge. Looking at Rude, he gestured for help. Both men leaning on the door eventually opened it and moved the debris from their path. Once the door was opened, black smoke filled their lungs.

Covering his mouth to block the smoke Reno spoke first. 'Split up, we'll cover more ground that way.' Rude nodded and started searching the left side of the office as Reno made his way to the right side. After a few minutes of searching, Rude noticed something white under what was left of the President's desk.

Running towards the desk, he called out to Reno 'I found him! He's stuck under something. Get over here and help me.'

Reno ran in the direction of Rude's voice and knelt down next to Rufus, feeling for a pulse.

Rude nervously watched Reno verify their boss' vital signs. 'Well?'

'He has a pulse. It's really faint, but it's there. He's still breathing too, but it seems like he's having a hard time. It must be from all the smoke he inhaled.'

Upon hearing that Rufus was still alive, although barely, Rude sighed in relief. 'Alright, I'll get this off his legs and you radio down to them to bring a stretcher. We can't just carry him out in the state he's in; he probably has a few broken bones at the very least.'

Reno got up and radioed down to the workers that he was alive but needed urgent attention. When Rude began lifting the desk off his boss' legs, a low groan came from Rufus' lips. Rude stopped moving the desk and Reno ran back to the President, who was slowly coming around.

'Sir? Rufus? Can you hear me?' Receiving no response other then another low groan, Reno gently shook him. 'C'mon Rufus, say something! Let us know you're going to be alright.'

'Reno?' His voice was very weak and raspy and he couldn't help but wince after speaking. The slight breeze coming from the now blown out wall made him shiver slightly, which in turn made him grimace again in pain.

Reno shot to attention after hearing his voice. Seeing that Rufus seemed cold, he started taking off his coat. 'That's me sir. Here to get you out.' He started while draping his coat over Rufus' injured frame. 'I didn't come alone of course. Rude is trying to get the desk off your legs. Don't try to move sir; we don't know what's broken.'

'I'm sorry in advance sir, but this will probably hurt, a lot.' Rude then put all his strength into lifting the desk off of his boss and tossed it to the side. There were other pieces of debris that fell on Rufus as well that Rude busied himself to remove. Rufus opened his eyes and gasped in pain. 'My leg.'

Reno's attention was drawn down to his boss' legs. 'Which one sir? This one?' He asked when he touched Rufus' left leg. 'Or this one?' Rufus gasped when he touched it his right leg. 'That's the one. How is the other one?'

Reno looked up at Rude, then back to Rufus. 'Sir, I checked that one already. It didn't seem like it was hurting you. It looks like it's broken in a couple of places though.'

Rufus chuckled lightly which erupted into a fit of coughs. 'No time for jokes Reno. Seriously, touch it; I want to feel how bad it is.'

Reno sighed and put his hand on his leg again, gently pressing where the leg appeared broken. 'Does that hurt sir?'

Rufus sighed, seemingly annoyed. 'I can't answer that until you touch it, Reno.'

Reno looked down at his hand, which was still on the President's leg. _What the hell? I'm still touching it and he can't feel it? But how? Oh shit…_

'Sir? Does your back hurt at all?'

'A bit. Why?'

'Because Reno hasn't moved his hand from your leg and you're saying that you can't feel it.' Concluded Rude, seemingly as shocked as Reno.

Rufus tried to raise his head to see if what he was told was true. 'What? That's not possible. Both of you are lying. Touch it damnit!'

Rude rushed up to his boss and attempted to calm him. 'Please sir, calm down. I'm sure it's only temporary and the doctors will be able to fix your legs and you'll be fine.'

Meanwhile Reno was checking Rufus for any signs of a back injury. He glided his hand under his boss and pulled out a rather blood stained hand.

'Ah shit.'

Rude looked up and noted the blood on his partner's hand. He glanced down at Rufus who was slipping in and out of consciousness. _He's losing a lot of blood, we have to keep him awake or he won't make it._ Rude was frantically trying to think of something, anything, that would make Rufus talk and keep him awake until the rescue team arrived.


	3. Chapter 3

'Sir? Was there anyone else in this office with you?' _Now THAT was a dumb question Rude, of course no one else was here…_

Rufus slowly opened his eyes and glanced up at Rude. 'No. No, only me.' He began to close his eyes again when they shot open one again. 'No! Dark Nation was here. He's always with me.' Rufus tried to get up but Rude gently kept him lying down. 'Where is he? Is he ok?'

_I didn't think that cat meant so much to him._ Rude looked at Reno who was trying to find something to wipe the blood on. 'Reno, see if you can find Dark Nation in here somewhere.'

Reno looked at him in disbelief then whispered quietly to him 'Are you nuts? Rufus barely survived this and you think that a _cat_ could survive? I think the smoke has affected your brain Rude. Really.'

'Fine, you tell him that you don't want to look for something that means a lot to him. Besides, it's a cat; it's smaller then Rufus. He probably found a good hiding spot and probably just got stuck. Just humor him Reno. Hell, humor me. It won't kill you to look for his pet.'

'Fine, I'll look for the damn thing. He creeps me out though. It really doesn't like me.'

'He wouldn't cast bolt on you every time he sees you if you would stop teasing him with food you know.'

'Yeah yeah, I know. But it's fun.' He got up, leaving Rufus in Rude's care to search for the cat.

_This is pathetic. How am I supposed to find a black cat, in a dark building? This will be SO easy._

When he got to the far end of the office he stopped and glanced around. In the silence, he thought he heard a weak meowing from under some debris. _No way,_ he thought _it should be dead._

Pulling the debris away he eventually came across the injured cat. His front paw lay limp beside him and there was a large gash on his side, but Dark Nation was alive, if not worse for wear.

The cat looked up and noticed Reno looming over him. Although feeling weak, he began casting bolt on the redhead.

_Damnit, I just saved you and you want to electrocute me? Well, Rufus talks to him and he seems to understand him perfectly. I might as well give it a shot. I'm going to negotiate with a cat…I HAVE gone insane._

'Look, I know you don't like me very much and all but don't electrocute me yet. Rufus is lying over there probably dying and he asked me to find you because he wants to know you're ok. I'm going to get you out of here so don't shock me alright?'

Somehow it didn't surprise Reno that after hearing that Rufus was hurt that Dark Nation stopped casting the spell and tried to get himself up. Reno proceeded to get the remaining debris away from the animal and before he could stop the injured cat, Dark Nation limped his way over to where his master lay. He nudged his master to try to wake him up and lay his head over his chest, as if guarding him.

Rufus felt the nudge and opened his eyes to find his cat lying protectively against him. He smiled at the cat and looked up at Reno.

'Thank you for finding him.'

Reno was speechless. He had half-expected for the cat to guard his master but he was honestly quite surprised to see it. _If it's possible for a cat to feel_ he mused _I'd say Dark Nation is scared that Rufus won't be ok._

He shook himself from his thoughts and managed a simple 'You're welcome sir.' in reply. Rufus' eyes started closing once again.

'Sir' Rude shook him gently 'Sir, you can't fall asleep. Stay awake until the medics arrive. You'll be able to rest in the chopper to the hospital.'

Rufus tried desperately to stay awake but couldn't find the energy. 'I really can't. I'm too tired.'

_Where the fuck are those medics?_ Reno fumed _He's going to die and it'll be their fault._

A sudden noise startled Dark Nation and made Reno and Rude draw their guns. Seeing the guns aimed for their heads, the rescue team stopped dead in their tracks.

After a moment, one of the medics stepped forward to address the two Turks. 'We're here to get the President to the hospital if that's alright with you two.'

Wordlessly, Reno and Rude returned their guns to their holsters and gestured to where Rufus' broken body lay. Rude gently picked up Dark Nation off of Rufus in order for the medics to examine him.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I know it's been a while since the last update, I just really don't know where I'm going with this so writing it has been kind of slow.

Disclaimer: Same as always, don't own them….

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Be careful moving him, yo. His back is bleeding, he must have landed on something sharp and cut it.'

'Yes sir, we will be careful.' One of the medics hastily replied.

'Watch his legs too, they were stuck under some debris.'

'We will sir.'

'He couldn't feel his left leg when I touched either it so be careful.'

'Yes sir, we will.'

'Oh, and don't forget to….'

'Reno!' His stoic friend was glaring murderously at him and Reno couldn't figure out why.

'What the hell did I do to warrant that stare? It's not like I'm holding a gun to anyone's head or anything.'

'No, but you're bugging the medics when they are trying to stabilize Rufus enough to get him out of here. They're not idiots; they know what they're doing. Just get the hell out of their way before I keep you out of their way got it?'

'No need to be pissy there Rude.' sighed Reno 'I was just wanted to be sure that they were not going to do something stupid and kill him.'

'Somehow I doubt that idea was even close to being in their minds Reno; especially with two Turks standing right here watching them.' Rude was admittedly just as worried about their boss as Reno was. But Rude knew enough to trust the professionals when it came to getting the President out of his now destroyed office in one piece.

Reno looked away from Rufus and the medics and turned his attention to Rude and Dark Nation.

'How's the cat?'

'It's heavy.'

'No shit, I could have figured that out myself. I mean how is it? Is that gash still bleeding?'

'I don't know, I'm a little too busy holding him up so I can't exactly look at the gash.' Rude turned himself so he was face to face with Reno then gestured to the cat. 'Why don't you make yourself useful and look at it?'

'Fine I will. Don't think that I'm wondering about the gash because I'm worried about whether or not the cat'll make it or anything. I'm just curious.'

Rude chuckled lightly. 'Sure you don't, partner. Five minutes ago you were yelling at me for asking you to look for it and now you're wondering about its health. You like this thing.'

'No I don't "like this thing".' Reno began 'I just want it to be ok so that it'll be around for when Rufus wakes up.'

'Ah, you didn't think Rufus liked the cat this much did you?'

'Not in the slightest. I thought it was just his guard cat or something, not his actual pet. I think Rufus'll be crushed if this thing dies. Did you?'

'Did I what?'

'What do you mean did I what? What were we just talking about? Did you think that Rufus liked this cat so damn much?' _Yup, the smoke has definitely affected Rude's brain._

'Not this much. I thought he just liked it because it was a good guard and if it died he could care less. Oh well. At least we know he liked our present huh?'

'Yeah, of course he liked it. I mean it was us, the best guards around, that gave it to him right?' Reno smiled, remembering Rufus' rare smile grace his lips after lifting the cover off the box and revealing the cat.

'One sec, I'll be right back partner.' Reno left Rude and the cat for a moment to ask one of the medics for a flashlight.

He returned a few minutes later and began inspecting the wound on Dark Nation's side. The cat made a small whimpering noise but was too weak to do much else.

'How's it look Reno?'

'It's deep, not too deep, but enough. There's some dirt in it that's going to cause an infection if we don't get him to a vet to get it patched up. I think it's a pretty safe bet to say that his front paw is broken too. He couldn't put an once of his weight on it when he dragged himself to Rufus.'

Rude nodded his head. 'If these are his only injuries then I guess he should be fine.'

'Yeah, he should be. Rufus will be happy about that. You can head down with him now if you want; I'm sure that he's getting pretty heavy.'

'And what are you going to do?'

Reno shrugged his shoulders. 'Wait for the medics to secure him and leave with them.'

Reno watched Rude leave the now destroyed office with the cat in his arms. He then turned his attention to the medics tending to Rufus. They were currently steadying the President and laying him on the stretcher. Reno made his way to them as the team was lifting the stretcher and preparing to exit the room.

He found the lead medic and walked down with him as the rest of the team carried Rufus out.

'So, is he going to be ok?'

The medic shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. 'It's really hard to say sir. He was unconscious when we got to him and he doesn't show any signs of waking up anytime soon. It would be easier to judge his chances of surviving this once we know the full extent of his injuries. It would also depend on how tough he is overall and his will to pull through.'

Reno smirked a little at that comment. 'Hn, depending on how tough he is? In that case then, he'll be perfectly fine.'

The rescue worker shook his head. 'I guess we'll have to wait and see about that one sir.'

While the rescue workers were carefully making their way out of the building, Reno stole a few glances of Rufus; he hadn't moved or shown any signs of consciousness since he had returned earlier with Dark Nation. Even with no obvious signs of injury, other then his torn pants and bleeding back, Reno had a feeling that there were more serious injuries hiding under his white coat.

_Wait and see huh? He'll be fine, he has to be. He won't let us down and die._ They continued the rest of the way in silence, carefully making their way down to the exit where the helicopter was waiting to transport the young President to the hospital.

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A/N 2: Reviews are appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Same as before…

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The two remaining Turks watched the duo enter the crumbling building, both of them silently hoping that the building would hold long enough for them to get out.

'Do you think they'll find him sir?'

'I highly doubt that either one of them will walk out of that tower without him, Elena. Whether it's with Rufus himself or with his body, they won't leave without him.'

'What makes you so sure of that sir?' _I really have to stop getting so surprised at this stuff._

'They only have one thing on their minds right now Elena; save Rufus at any cost. Until that mission is accomplished, they won't come out of that building. If I could, I would join them in the search, but I know that even though I'm mostly healed, I'm still too injured to be of any good. Besides, too many people going up there could make things harder, not easier.'

Elena nodded towards Tseng in acknowledgement then sighed, 'I guess Rufus can't be that much of an ass after all if you would all willingly die for him.'

Tseng's eyed widened slightly and he turned to look at her. 'Are you trying to say that you would not risk your life for him either? Last time I checked, ensuring the President's safety and putting your life on the line to ensure that was in the job description of a Turk. Did you happen to skip over that part of the description, or am I misinterpreting you?' The tinge of anger that was in Tseng's voice didn't go unnoticed by Elena.

_No sir, please don't be mad at me! Not you of all people...ah crap. There goes my dinner with him. Now he hates me._

'Elena? Did I misinterpret you?'

Shaking those thoughts out of her head, Elena began 'Yes, sir. I didn't mean that I wouldn't give my life to save Rufus, I do know that is in the job description, I didn't miss that part and I do know that if I'm on duty and it's either his life or mine, he's the one that has to live to see the next day.'

Tseng calmed a bit at that 'Alright, so you understand your job. I must admit however that you have me slightly confused. If you know that your job includes giving your life for the President, why are you so shocked that they are going up there?'

Elena lowered her head. After finding what she felt was a good explanation, she quietly spoke. 'Because they're not going up there as Rufus Shinra's Turks; they're going up there as Rufus Shinra's friends. It makes a big difference, sir. We put our lives on the line because at the end of the day we need that paycheck. That's what being a Turk is; risk your life and get paid. They're putting their lives on the line this time and they probably won't get a paycheck out of it. They'll get either a thank you and their friend safe and sound, or no thank you and a casket being buried in the ground.'

'I wouldn't hesitate rescuing him as a Turk sir; I'm saying that I don't know how I would go about saving him if I was his friend. I'd probably hesitate, even just for a moment, for any friend but they didn't; they just stormed right in. I guess I'm just thinking that he must be a hell of a lot different in private then what he lets on in public.' _Oh planet, please let that be a good explanation. I am so horrible at explaining the stupid stuff that comes out of my mouth, and this was definately one of the stupidest comments I've ever made. I really have to learn to shut up._

When Elena finally looked up from the ground, Tseng was lost in thought. 'Sir? Did my explanation make sense to you? Or did I blabber again too much and missed the point entirely?'

'No Elena, I understand what you are trying to say. I was just thinking about the last thing you said, that's all. Yes, Rufus is very different in private then he is in public. The public expects the President of Shinra to be one thing and Rufus can be something usually altogether different from what they expect so yes, he does act differently.'

_I really shouldn't be asking this._ 'You and the President are pretty close, aren't you sir.'

Tseng looked at Elena, surprise showing on his face for a second before smiling slightly. 'Yes Elena, you could say that we are.'

Their conversation was cut off when they heard Reno's voice over the radio. 'He's alive yo, but he's seriously injured. Get your guys up here to get him out of here!'

_He's alive. Alive but hurt._ Tseng thought to himself. _Of course he's hurt, there's practically nothing left to that floor. Those medics better move it before it's too late._ Tseng was staring at the medics who were racing to find the equipment they would need to get the President out.

Elena was watching the medics run into the building. 'I can't believe they found him. I thought for sure they wouldn't or that they were only going to find his body.'

'Never underestimate Rufus' will to live and Reno and Rude's will to find him.'

'I guess it's safe to say that the other two are close to him as well.'

'Yes they are.'

Trying to lighten the somber mood a bit and give them something to do while waiting for the medics to bring Rufus down, Elena thought that she would continue their conversation from earlier. 'Sir? What do you mean when you said "you could say that" earlier?'

'I've known Rufus since he was a kid. I've watched him grow up and have pretty much always been with him so yes, you can say that we're close. The other two came in a bit later and got to know him personally as well. He feels that the public wouldn't respect a talkative President that likes to kid around, so he's direct, cold and to the point when he addresses people. It still garners criticism, but it's more professional then throwing out jokes isn't it?'

Elena nodded her head. 'Yes. I guess it is more professional.'

'Anyway, the point is that we know him outside of work; he's a nice guy and a good friend. Believe it or not, if it was one of us stuck up there, he'd try to think of some way to get us out or try to get us out himself. We're doing what anyone would do for a friend.'

Following their small exchange, they both fell silent. Tseng was obviously worried and lost in thought, while Elena simply didn't know what to say to lighten the mood.

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A/N: Comments are welcome!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry it took a while to update this story. Hopefully this chapter will make up for the wait!

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After what seemed like an eternity, Elena thought she saw something coming out of the building. Not thinking clearly, she grabbed Tseng's arm to shake him out of thoughts and failed to let go when she got his attention.

'Tseng sir! Someone is coming out of the building.' She began, pointing towards the person walking out 'It looks like Rude, but he doesn't seem to have the President with him.'

Tseng noticed that Elena didn't let him go after grabbing his attention but at the moment, he really didn't mind. He looked up at where Elena was pointing and noticed that Rude was holding onto something.

'He doesn't have Rufus, but he has Dark Nation. That means that Rufus isn't very far behind.'

_How does he figure that? He's confusing me again._ 'Why do you say that sir?'

Tseng began talking while making his way to Rude. 'Because Rufus brings that cat everywhere and that cat never willingly leaves his side. Even if it's hurt, he wouldn't let himself get too far from him. Reno and the rescue team will probably be down in the next couple of minutes.'

Eventually, they met up with Rude, who still had Dark Nation in his arms. Tseng gently pet the giant cat on the head, who gave a weak meow in return. He then turned to Rude and asked the question that was on both he and Elena's minds.

'How does he look Rude? Honestly, does he look like he'll make it?'

Rude sighed and shrugged. 'To be honest with you sir, I have no idea. He's obviously inhaled a lot of smoke and it's safe to say that his both his legs are broken. I'm sure there are a few internal injuries that we can't see either.'

Tseng suspected that Rude was keeping something from him. 'Is that all of his injuries Rude? Smoke inhalation and broken legs shouldn't make you think that there's a possibility of him not surviving.'

'His legs were crushed under his desk sir. That can cause problems.'

Tseng shook his head, 'That's still not enough to warrant thinking that he may not survive Rude.'

'We think his back is broken.'

'What makes you say that?'

'Because Reno put his hand under him to check for injuries and when he pulled his hand out, it was covered in blood. That and when Reno felt one of his legs, he couldn't feel Reno's hand on it.'

Elena gasped in shock while Tseng barely managed to maintain his composure. 'Those are slightly more serious injuries then smoke inhalation and broken legs. I assume that Reno is coming down with the medics shortly?'

Rude nodded, 'Yes sir. Reno was waiting for them to secure Rufus, and then they were going to begin their descent. It may take them a few minutes extra since it is a little difficult to maneuver through the debris in there.'

'I see. Why are you down so soon before them?'

Rude chuckled a bit. 'Because I've been holding Dark Nation pretty much since Reno found him and he's getting a little heavy. We have to find him a vet. His paw is broken and he has a huge gash on his side.'

Despite his mood, Tseng couldn't help but laugh at Rude's reasons for coming down before them. 'I guess that makes sense. Dark Nation can get in the transport with Rufus then. I'm sure that Rufus would like to know that his cat is nearby.'

'I'm sure he would like that, but he's unconscious now sir. I think he lost too much blood, went into shock and just passed out.'

'You neglected to tell me that part earlier Rude. None of those are very encouraging. How long has it been since he lost consciousness?'

'About a half-hour, give or take. Not too long after we got up there and found him.'

'Did he say anything before that?'

'Other then his leg hurting and asking us to find Dark Nation, nothing. He seemed to be drifting in and out when we found him. He only really woke up when I lifted the desk off his legs.'

Tseng was going to reply but his thoughts were cut off by a loud voice beside him. 'Sir! They're coming out!'

Tseng ran towards the building and stopped just near the stretcher. The medics didn't stop to allow Tseng to see him; doing so could cost the young President his life. However they were walking slowly enough across the debris to allow Tseng a good look at him.

_He looks so pale. He must have lost a lot of blood. His legs look pretty bad too._ He laughed quietly to himself, _At least he doesn't have many scratches on his face and his hair isn't singed off. He'll be happy to know that._

His smile faded and he remembered what Rude told him. _The longer he stays unconscious, the worse it is for him. Maybe he's just having a nap. Yeah, that's it. It's just a nap and he'll be up soon. Oh, who am I kidding, of course he's not napping, but it doesn't hurt to wish he was._

'Tseng-san?'

Reno's voice shook him out of his thoughts. 'Reno, did the medic give you any kind of prognosis while you were descending with him?'

'No, sir. He said that they can't really give his chances for survival until they fully examine him.'

'Very well, thank you.' Tseng left Reno and made his way to the medics once again, who were now loading the President into the transport. He located the lead medic and rushed to speak with him.

'Is there any room in there for his cat?'

'No sir. It is my understanding that the cat is his guard and that it does mean a lot to him, but there's no room for an injured animal in here. There is only room for one other person in here other then us, if someone wants to accompany him.'

'Which hospital are you taking him to?'

'Junon Medical Center, sir.'

Tseng nodded. 'I'm going with him. Just please give me one moment.'

He ran back to Rude, who was now conversing with Elena and Reno while waiting for Tseng to come back with orders.

'There's no room for Dark Nation in the transport and room for only one person. I'm going with him. You, Reno and Elena bring Dark to the vet. You then have the choice to meet me at the hospital or go back to your homes. It's up to you.'

Reno spoke up first. 'We'll meet you at the hospital sir. Why would we go home when we know he's dying in a hospital?' Rude nodded in agreement, while Elena stood silently for a moment before agreeing to go to the hospital as well. 'What hospital sir?'

Tseng smiled at the three. 'Junon Medical Center. I'll see the three of you later.' Tseng quickly made his way back to the transport and within moments, it was on its way to Junon.

'You know, Tseng really shouldn't run like that, he might rip his stitches.'

Rude scoffed at Reno. 'Somehow I don't think that his stitches are of a concern to him right now.'

'Good point.' He turned to Rude and looked at the animal still in his arms. 'You're still holding on to him? You're stronger then I thought. Let's get him to the vet. The sooner he's there, the quicker we'll get to the hospital.'

'Hey guys? Somehow I don't think there are many functional vet offices around here at the moment. I think they've all blown up.'

'The Rookie has a good point.' Elena smacked Reno on the head. 'Hey! What was that for Rookie?'

'I always make good points. Now let's get him to a vet before Rude's arms fall off.'

'Wow, the Rookie made two good points in the span of a minute. The planet really must be coming to an end.'

Elena huffed and stomped her foot. 'That's not funny Reno!'

'Children please.' Rude's voice stopped the two mid-argument. 'I would like to get this cat out of my arms since I can no longer feel them. Let's go back to the chopper and find a vet in Junon.'

Reno smiled and slapped his friend on the back, 'Sounds like a plan to me partner!'

'Just try not to kill each other on the trip there alright? It's been a long day already.'

'We'll do our best Rude, just for you.' Elena quipped.

'You guys are so nice to me.'

'We try Rude, we try.'

The three of them began making their way to their helicopter. After laying Dark Nation in the back, they made their way to Junon.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I know, it took a while for an update on this one. I'm sorry. I'm also sorry if this chapter seems a little odd. Hopefully, you guys will like it.

Just to be clear on what's going on in this chapter: The italics are what Rufus is hearing and when Rufus is speaking, he's replying to the voice, even though he's alone.

Also, thank you to all of you that have reviewed! (gives cookies)

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Rufus slowly opened his eyes, seeing nothing around him. He was slightly confused by the change of scenery. The last place he remembered was his office, where he was looking out the window. To wake up in a place void of everything, unnerved him.

'Where am I?'

He started walking around exploring the area, thinking that he would see someone else here with him. Instead of seeing anyone, he heard the voice of someone that he knew, and was unsure why he couldn't see them.

_The medics say that there's a good chance that you'll feel that leg again and you'll be able to walk. They don't know for sure of course if you'll have full use of it again, but they think that it's a good possibility._

Rufus looked down at his legs. 'Tseng? What are you talking about? I can feel my legs and I can walk just fine. I have no idea what you are talking about. Now stop hiding and come talk to me.'

Instead of seeing Tseng come out of hiding, he heard a jumble of words, a panicked Tseng and people scrambling about.

_Just hang on a little longer Rufus. You're almost at the hospital._

Rufus wasn't sure if he should be confused about what Tseng was talking about, or upset that he was continuing this "act" with him. 'I appear to be in the middle of nowhere Tseng; I highly doubt there is a hospital nearby. Besides, why would I need to go to a hospital?'

Just then a loud beeping noise rang in his ears. He covered them to block out the sound, but it only made it louder. 'Someone stop that damn beeping!'

Over the ringing, he could hear Tseng's voice, _What's going on? You said he was stable! _Do_ something! Don't you dare let him die._

'Die? I'm _right here_! I'm not dead! Seriously Tseng, you are really starting to get me upset. What do you think you'll accomplish by doing this? Come out of wherever it is you're hiding, _now_.'

He stopped for a moment, waiting for Tseng to appear. Looking around his surroundings he realized that there really were no places to hide. There was only white emptiness and nothing in it, except for him and a faint blue-green light in the horizon.

After a while, Rufus shrugged and sat down. He noticed that the beeping had finally stopped and he could make out what seemed to be voices. He tried to hear what they were saying but he could only make out some words.

_…would be a shame…_

'What would be a shame?'

_…so young, had a lot of promise…_

'Who did?'

_…would have turned the company around…_

'Are you talking about me?'

_…you're talking as if he was already dead…_

'Reno! What the hell is going on here? Who are they talking about?'

_…President's injuries?_

'My injuries?' He looked down at himself again. 'But I'm _fine_. I don't see any of these "injuries" that you say that I have.' Rufus strained to hear the doctor list his so-called injuries.

_…smoke inhalation, internal bleeding…concussion…blood loss…back…broken…_

Rufus cursed himself for not being able to hear everything that was said. He did notice though that when the doctor was done talking, everything went silent.

_...miracle he survived the explosion._

'Explosion? What explosion? I wasn't near an explosion. I was in my office ordering the launch of the sister ray...' Rufus stopped mid-sentence, remembering what had happened. 'That guy got on the radio and said an energy mass was coming towards the building. I saw them coming...'

Realization hit Rufus, 'My office was blown up and I was in it. I guess the injury list makes sense, but it still doesn't explain where I am.'

Sighing, Rufus heard Tseng speaking again.

_…his prognosis?_

'Why do you sound so down Tseng? It's nothing that I can't handle. A concussion never stopped me before and the rest of these injuries won't stop me either.'

_…40 chance to make it through the night…_

'That's it?? Thanks for being so optimistic doc. I'll just have to prove you wrong, now won't I.'

_…survives the first 8 hours, goes to 70..._

'It will jump 30 just because of 8 hours? I can handle that.'

_…if his heart stops again…can't guarantee we can restart it…._

Rufus fell silent for a moment. 'Heart stopped? Was that what that beeping meant? Then it stopped when it started again? That must have scared Tseng and the others to no end if they were with him. Funny though, I didn't feel anything.'

_…might stay in a coma for a while…unknown at this point…_

'Coma? I'm in a coma? I guess that explains this place, whatever _this_ place is.'

He heard the shuffling of clothing and then a calming voice talking to him.

_I know you'll make it through this, Rufus. You're tough, you'll make it through. No matter what happens to you, I know you'll keep fighting._

Rufus smiled. 'Of course I will Tseng. Given that you are so sure of my survival, I can't exactly let you down and die now can I? I have no idea how I'm going to go about it, but I'll wake up soon. I promise.'

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A/N 2: I know it's still pretty much up for debate if people in a coma can hear you or not when you talk to them. I prefer to think that sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. At least that's how I'll make it in this story. Rufus can hear some things they say when they're with him, but other times, he'll just be asleep in that "coma world" and not hear them.

I hope that you guys liked it! I'm thinking of making a few more chapters about Rufus in his little "coma world" if you do!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry for the delay…again. Writer's block has decided to strike me (for this story and Waiting) so it's taking longer to complete then I would have hoped. This chapter starts off where Chapter 6 ended.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! (gives Rufus and Dark Nation cookies)

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'Do you think that Dark Nation is ok back there? I mean, he's hurt and now he's all alone. Rufus is usually with him. Maybe he's scared back there by himself.'

Rude smiled and Reno couldn't help but laugh. 'Yeah, good luck with that one 'Laney. If you're so worried about him, _you_ go back there. Let's see how the scared and injured animal will respond to you. Don't forget to cover your face, wouldn't want it to get scarred.'

Elena huffed and crawled to the back of the helicopter. 'He won't do anything to me. He wants company.'

When he heard movement behind him, Rude turned his head and watched Elena moving slowly towards the cat. Given the cramped area, she really didn't have much choice _but_ to move slowly.

'Elena, I don't think...' Rude began, but was stopped by the redhead.

'Let her learn the hard way not to mess with that cat. We did. I still got the scar to prove it. You can crawl back there when you hear her yelling at Dark after he scratches half her skin off.'

Shaking his head, Rude turned away from Elena and Dark Nation. _This is too much to have happen in one day. We weren't even officially done with the previous mission, and now we have a new one. Save Rufus' cat. What kind of a mission is that anyway??_ When he finally realized what exactly he was doing, he couldn't help but shake his head. _Although, if we want to live to see next month, we do have to see this one through. I can hear Rufus now: "don't let my cat die or I'll kill you." He'll be fine, sir. I don't exactly want to die because of a cat._

He was shaken from his thoughts by a rather hard punch to his shoulder. He turned to look at the redhead, eyebrow raised in question.

'She hasn't yelled yet.' Reno motioned to the back of the helicopter, where Elena was trying to make friends with Dark Nation. 'Maybe he went right for her neck and killed her. What if he killed her!? How do we explain this to Tseng? We can't exactly say, "Well sir, we have good news and bad news. The good news is that Dark Nation is going to be fine. He was weak and dying in the back of the chopper, but having lunch seemed to have helping him out. The bad news is that we lost the Rookie. She was his lunch. We're sorry sir. Are there anymore Rookies available?'

Rude shook his head. 'You put sugar in your coffee this morning, didn't you?'

'Well, yeah I did.' he shrugged, 'But that has nothing to do with Elena becoming that cat's lunch.'

'Haven't I told you that you don't need caffeine or sugar and that it makes you go insane?' _I should have you locked away, Reno._

Reno sighed, exasperated. 'I'm not insane! He killed her! That cat is _crazy_! It's scared, it's hurt and it misses Rufus. Not a good combination! You go deal with the insane murderous cat and the leftover Rookie parts. I'm trying to get us to the President.'

Rude turned to assess the damage and possibly to console Elena. He was rather certain that Dark Nation wouldn't want anyone near him right now, unless they were male, dressed in white, had blond hair, blue eyes and answered to the name Rufus. Elena had seemed set on comforting an animal that most people ran away from in fear.

The sight that he saw was not exactly what he expected, nor anything like Reno had predicted. He glanced back to his partner, smirking slighty, taking the controls from the redhead.

'Hey this is _my_ flight baldy. Hands off the controls.'

'You can have them back, after you look behind you.'

_Oh right, like _I_ want to see little 'Laney bits all over the place._ He closed his eyes and reluctantly turned around and prepared himself for a gruesome sight. When he opened his eyes, he couldn't help but stare in disbelief.

'What. the. fuck!? That's not _fair_! It hates me but _loves_ you?? I bought the damn thing!'

'I'm not mean to him. You are. There's a difference.'

Elena had managed to prop herself up enough for Dark Nation to rest his head in her lap. He was now resting comfortably, purring quietly as Elena gently scratched him at the base of his tentacle. When Dark heard Reno's voice, his ears perked up. He turned to look at the redhead, gave a rather large yawn, then went back to sleep.

Grumbling, Reno went back to his seat and took the controls from Rude. 'Stupid cat,' he mumbled, 'loves her but hates me. I spend money on it and it hates me. She pets it and she's loved. I hate cats. Damn finicky things.'

'It's just a cat.' Rude admonished, managing to hide his amusement. 'Relax. Quit worrying about it and get ready to land. The vet's hospital is coming into view. The medical center where they brought Rufus isn't far from here either.'

'Yeah, yeah, Rude. Got it.' Reno snapped as he began preparing to land. 'Yo 'Laney! Hold onto sleeping kitty, we're landing.'


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I'm sorry about the delay. I do have a couple chapters of this one done that I'll put up asap. If they're cheesy, I'm sorry in advance. :-\ Writing about a dying injured man is a little tough sometimes...oh well. I did do a search for symptoms of certain injuries too, so if it gets technical or too "ick", I apologize for that as well…lol I have a lot of apologies in here…

_Anyway_, this takes place right after Chapter 8 and is happening at the same time as Chapter 9.  
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After leaving the other Turks, Tseng all but ran to the transport. Waiting until the medics had Rufus in the transport, he then entered and sat at the head of the stretcher, trying his best to stay out of the medics' way.

After securing him in the transport, the medics had secured a neck brace, removed unnecessary clothing and attached monitors to Rufus' injured frame. Tseng noted that Rufus' breathing was getting weaker, his blood pressure was steadily going down and the heart monitor was beeping angrily every few seconds. When the last beeping from the monitor was longer then rest, he looked up at the head medic. Seeing the worry in his face only increased his own anxiety. He didn't want to think that Rufus was dying in front of him.

Sighing, he took the opportunity to fully look over his charge and have a look at the injuries. Judging by the bump on the side of the blond's head, Rufus had a concussion and taking into consideration that he was now unconscious, Tseng assumed that it was a rather severe one. While it wasn't fully evident when he was clothed, it was clear from the bruising on his chest that Rufus had several broken ribs, and perhaps a collapsed lung.

The blood coming from the gash his back flowed freely forcing the medics to concentrate their efforts to stop it before he bled to death. _He's bleeding internally too._ Tseng thought grimly. _His abdomen is too swollen for it to be anything else _but_ that._ Glancing at his legs, he couldn't help but sighing at the damage that had been hidden. _I suppose it makes sense why he couldn't feel his leg when Reno touched it_

_You'll be fine, Rufus. _Tseng sighed._ It's just a few injuries, nothing serious. You'll be up and about, driving us all insane again in no time._

Tseng reached out and grabbed the other's limp hand, frowning when he felt how cold Rufus was. Hoping that it would help take his mind off of the medics and the machines around him, Tseng updated Rufus on his condition.

'The medics say that there's a good chance that you'll feel that leg again and you'll be able to walk. They don't know for sure if you'll have full use of it again of course, but they think that it's a good possibility.'

He looked up at Rufus' face, hoping to see a reaction to his voice, and frowned when he didn't receive one.

'I know you must be hurting right now but you're not as injured as you feel.' Tseng sighed, 'It's just that you're tired and you have some injuries. Give it a day or two, the pain will be gone.'

_Who are you trying to fool?_ he thought to himself, _You know he's dying. Quit living in denial and accept the fact that he might die before he even gets to the hospital._

'Excuse me, sir?'

Tseng looked away from Rufus and looked up at the medic, not bothering to ask him what he wanted.

'We need to insert a breathing tube, sir. If you would please sit at the far end of the stretcher so that we can move around more freely, it would be appreciated.'

Wordlessly, Tseng put down Rufus' hand and pushed himself down towards the end of the stretcher. He looked up as the medics inserted the tube into Rufus' throat, then immediately turned away, his stomach turning.

_He can't even _breathe_ on his own and you're telling him that he's going to be fine and that he doesn't have many injuries?? Damn Tseng, you are a good liar. You can keep telling him and yourself that but it still won't make it anymore truthful._

A pat on the back brought him out of his thoughts, 'Thank you, sir. You can go back to his side now if you wish.'

'Thank you.' was his only reply. He went back to Rufus' side, looking at the blond's face and turning away almost as quickly. The bright white of the tube made Rufus' skin look more pale and ashen then when Tseng had first seen him. For once, he noticed the bags under the blond's eyes and the bruises forming on the sides of his face.

Running a hand through his hair, Tseng sighed then rested his arms on his lap, hanging his head. The sound of a heart monitor rapidly beeping and medics shouting orders roused him from his silent vigil.

'What's going on?' He asked the head medic.

'His heart is failing, sir. His blood pressure just dropped significantly and his heart is having difficulty adjusting to the sudden change.'

_Failing!? I _told_ you he was dying but you just didn't want to accept it._

Shaking his head he grabbed Rufus' hand, trying to sound as comforting as possible and hide the worry in his voice.

'Just hang on a little longer Rufus, you're almost at the hospital.' He paused as he watched a medic insert another needle into Rufus' arm. 'You're going to have more holes in your arms then you'll know what to do with by the time they're done.' He joked, 'But don't worry, there are bruises on your arms from the needles, but there's nothing really on your face aside from a couple bruises and your hair is fine. It's just out of place.'

Moments after the medic injected him, the angry beep of the monitor slowly leveled out and his heart rate steadied. Tseng let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. _He'll be fine. Quit worrying, you know he's tough._

'Will he be alright?'

'He's seems stable for now sir, but he's not out of the woods yet. He still has a lot of injuries that need to be looked after.'

'But, do you think he's going to make it?'

His question went unanswered since the medic was busy preparing Rufus to exit the transport. As soon as the transport landed, its doors were opened and the medics rushed the President to the awaiting emergency team. Tseng was not far behind them, running as quickly as he could to keep up.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Same as the other chapters. There not mine…

A/N: Nothing really, other then saying that writing about a dying man and someone's reaction to watching them dying isn't easy. I'm sorry in advance if it's a bit cheesy (again). Btw: A lot of the quotes are the ones from Chapter 7 when Rufus "woke up" and heard people talking.

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'I'm sorry sir, but you can't go in there.'

Tseng stared in disbelief at the head nurse. 'Excuse me? I can't _what_? In case you didn't notice who the individual was, I have to ensure his safety.'

The nurse stood her ground. 'If you go in there you will be in their way and they will not be able to save him. I'm sorry, but for his benefit, you can't go in there. You can see him just fine from the door.'

'Just tell me how he's doing.'

'He's in critical condition sir, but he does seem to be stable for the moment. Now if you'll excuse me, I have someone to look after.' She didn't wait Tseng to reply, she ran back to the doctor's side, handing him the tools he needed to stop the gash that was still bleeding.

Tseng stood immobile at the threshold, watching the doctors running and shouting for various tools and readouts. He was oblivious to everything around him, thinking only of Rufus and hoping against all odds for his survival. When he felt a hand brush up against his arm, he couldn't help but jump at the unexpected touch.

'How is he sir?'

Tseng looked at Elena, shaking his head, 'I don't know, Elena. He didn't have the smoothest ride here, but he managed to pull through.'

'So boss, why are you out here instead of in there?'

'Because they don't want me to get in their way, Reno. They've been running around ever since he was brought in.'

'Is he stable?'

'The medic in the transport said he was stabilizing and the nurse just told me that he was critical but stable.'

'I don't know about that, boss.' Reno started, 'With the way those docs are running around it doesn't seem like they think he's very stable.'

'Reno! How can you say that!' Elena screeched, slapping the redhead's arm.

'I didn't say he was going to _die_.' Reno retorted, 'I just said it doesn't seem like he's stable.'

'Both of you quiet down. We're in a hospital for planet's sake!' Tseng's admonishment was cut short by a shrilling beep in the emergency room.

'What is that?'

'His heart stopped.' Rude said, while pointing the doctor pressing the paddles to Rufus' chest.

'Straight to the point eh, Rude?'

Tseng ignored the rambling Turks behind him and ran into the room. 'What's going on? You said he was stable! _Do_ something! Don't you dare let him die.'

He heard a doctor shouting and felt two sets of hands on his shoulders, dragging him out of the room.

'Do we have to keep a grip on you boss, or will you stay here out of their way?' Reno asked, no hints of joking in his voice.

'Let me go.'

Rude shook his head. 'Not if you're going to go back in there. You'll get in their way and he'll die. His heart stopped and they're trying to save him, they're doing their best to _not_ let him die.' Rude sighed, 'But you saw how injured he was, I don't know if he's going to make it.'

'You mean to tell me that you think he's going to die.' Tseng glared at Rude, 'That's it? No hope that he will live, you're just going to say he's going to die and that's that.'

'That's not what he's saying sir.' Elena added as gently as she could. 'He's simply saying to not discount the fact that he might. He has enough serious injuries that he could die. You know that just as well as we do.'

Tseng sighed, defeated. 'Let me go, I will not run back into the room and get in their way. But he will _not_ die. He's too stubborn to do that.'

The shrill of the flat line was replace but steady beeping as Rufus' heart started beating again. The four Turks remained in the doorway, quietly watching the doctors do their final tests and scans on the blond.

'It would be such a shame for him to die this way.' One of the nurses said.

'Tell me about it. He's so young; he had a lot of promise.' Another nurse replied, adjusting Rufus' IV. 'He would have turned the company around I'm sure. Shinra could have used some new blood at the helm. Now it won't happen.'

The more he heard the nurses, the more upset Reno became. He let go of Tseng's arm, entered the room and glared at the nurses. 'What the hell is wrong with you people!? You're talking as if he was already dead. In case you didn't notice he's _right here_ and he's not dead. You hear that sound? That's proof that he's still alive.'

The nurses stopped their gossiping and rushed to get out of the room and as far from Reno as they could. Tseng followed behind him soon after and put a hand on the redhead's shoulder, lightly squeezing it, silently advising the Turk to calm down.

Looking over the people in the room, he stared at Rufus for a few moments, then addressed the physician. 'Doctor, could you please give us a rundown of the President's injuries?'

'Yes of course. He has severe smoke inhalation as well as internal bleeding, which, in addition to his back injury, has caused a significant amount of blood loss, which was the cause of the sudden drop in blood pressure and his heart failure. He also has a severe concussion and the x-rays indicate that his back is broken in two places in addition to a few crushing injuries in his legs. He is very lucky to be alive.'

The Turks fell silent, quietly absorbing the news. They knew that he was injured, but they didn't expect a list that included so many potentially fatal injuries.

Tseng sighed, 'What's his prognosis?'

'Given the severity of his injuries and his weakened state, he has about a 40 percent chance to make it through the night. If he manages to survive 8 hours, he would have a 70 percent chance of survival.'

'40 percent?' Reno shook his head, 'That's it!? He has to have better odds then that.'

'Unfortunately not, sir. If his heart wouldn't have stopped they may be higher, but with his heart and the rest of him this weak, those I the best odds. If his heart stops again, I can't guarantee that we'll be able to restart it again. We were almost unable to start it again this time.'

'How long before he wakes up?' Elena asked.

'He's in a coma right now. It could be days, weeks, months...it is possible that he will stay in a coma for a while. I'm sorry that I am unable to give you a more definite answer. It really is unknown at this point how long he will be in a coma or even if he will recover.'

Tseng sighed and slowly made his way to his charge's side. Taking Rufus' hand into his own, he rubbed it gently. 'I know you'll make it through this, Rufus.' He started, doing his best to keep his emotions under control. 'You're tough, you'll make it through. No matter what happens to you, I know you'll keep fighting.'


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Same one as usual.

A/N: I tried to think of what normally happens before a major surgery. I believe that most of this is what happens.

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'There's more to this "chance of survival" thing that you're not telling us, isn't there doc.' Reno accused. 'You're not telling us everything. I can tell.'

'He needs surgery.'

'Surgery...' Reno trailed off. 'On what? And when? You can't seriously mean that you want him to go into surgery right now.'

'Yes, unfortunately I do.' The doctor replied, 'The potions were able to stop the bleeding enough to stabilize him, but he is still bleeding internally and it has to be addressed right away. The break in his lower back is also severe and we need to set it.'

'With what?'

'The bones have been crushed, there's no way that they will heal on their own, at least well enough for it to be able to carry his weight. We will have to put a plate and pins in order to stabilize his back.'

'Alright, so if he needs it so badly,' Reno retorted, quickly losing his patience with the doctor. 'Why isn't he in surgery right now?'

'They're preparing the room and I need the go-ahead to do this.'

'The go-ahead?' Reno sighed and turned to Tseng, 'Well you're the boss so, answer the man.'

Tseng eyed the doctor for a moment, then turned his head back to the figure in the bed. 'What are his chances of making it through the surgery?'

'At the most, 25 percent.'

'And his chances for living through the night without it?'

'Zero percent. It will continue to bleed and he'll die before morning.'

Tseng sighed, _if I condone it, he'll probably die on the table. If I don't, he'll definitely die in bed._ He shook his head. T_his is Rufus I'm talking about. He won't let major surgery kill him. He wouldn't want to have that in the headlines; it's not dramatic enough for him._

'Do you need any blood?'

'Sir?'

'For him, for during the surgery. To replace what he's already lost and will lose.'

The doctor nodded. 'Yes. It would be good to have some if one of you match his type.'

'I do.' Elena went and stood beside the doctor, waiting for the man to lead the way.

'Excellent. Please, follow me.' The doctor turned and began leading Rude out of the room, then turned to the nurses, 'Make sure he's fully prepped for surgery and bring him to OR2. They're expecting him.'

The nurses nodded and began moving the stretcher towards the exit when a hand stopped them.

'Sir, we have to get him to surgery.'

'We know yo, but just give us a minute. This may be the last time we see him.'

The nurses nodded sadly and left Reno, Tseng and Rude alone in the room with their fallen President. No one said anything out loud, preferring to give Rufus quiet encouragement rather then sharing their feelings with the other Turks around them.

_You'll be fine, Ruf. Planet you better be, you still owe me a night at the bar! Leave it to you to find a way out of a huge bar tab. Besides, if you die, who am I going to tease about having girly blond hair? Elena? It's just not the same teasing her about having something she should have in the first place. Anyway, We'll be here waiting for you, just hang in there._

_...you made it this far sir, you can fight for another 3-4 hours. We didn't train you all that time for you to fail now. I did not forget that we were supposed to have a sparring session. I guess that will have to wait until you are well enough to get out of bed again. I also owe you a night out; I still can't figure out how you managed to drink that much and still outlast Reno. No one has ever beaten him at that before, including me. Anyway, you'll be alright. We'll see you in a few hours, sir._

_No matter what happens to you in there, I know that you fought as hard as you could. You always do and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I know that if you were awake right now, you would have laughed when the doctor told us your chances for your survival and you would have told him that you'd prove him wrong. For once, I want that doctor to be wrong. You've proven to me countless times that you're tougher then you look; now prove it to him too. As a side note, I believe I owe you a night out; I asked Elena out for dinner like we discussed and she said yes. I should heed your advice more often._

Tseng looked up at the nurses, who quietly exited the room with the President, Rude at their heels.

'Where are you going?'

'To watch the doctors during his surgery.'

'You shouldn't be doing that,' Tseng reminded him, 'It should be me. You wait here with Reno and Elena, I'll go up with him.'

Rude gripped his shoulder, stopping Tseng in his tracks. 'With all due respect sir, you may be more of a hindrance then a help at the moment. I realize that you're concerned for Rufus, but if you hover over the doctors to make sure that they are not doing something to kill him, they may inadvertently kill him because of you. It would be best if you stayed out sir. You can see him first when he gets out of surgery.'

Tseng jerked his shoulder, removing Rude's hand. Adjusting his tie and straightening his suit, he glared at the taller Turk then turned and walked towards the waiting room. Seeing that Reno was following him, he quickly turned at stared at the redhead. 'You stay _right here_ until Elena gets back. When she gets back, then you can come and wait with me.'

Not wanting to become a victim of Tseng's murderous mood, Reno nodded and didn't move his feet from where he was standing in the hall. He watched Tseng round the corner, then he turned to Rude. 'Well, at least if he decides to try to kill one of us, we'll be close to help. We'll probably kill you when we're better and far away from a hospital, but that's beside the point.'

'It's for the best,' Rude defended, 'You saw how Tseng was when he was waiting outside the room. What if he gets that pissed in an operating room? They'll kill Rufus because he'll make them.'

'Yeah, yeah. I know partner. I didn't say I didn't _agree_ with you, I just meant that the idea will probably get one of us killed.'

'It'll all work out.' Rude entered the awaiting elevator and pressed the button for the 5th floor, where the President was waiting.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I didn't plan on having her in this fic at all, but she somehow made her way into it. I also didn't intend for this to be as religious or belief intense as it is, but this is the Lifestream we're talking about which is to some extent, a part of a religion that they have, so I suppose it was bound to happen. :-\

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Rufus tried his best to hear the voices of the doctors, but wasn't having much luck. The only thing he had been able to make out was "surgery", which didn't appease him.

'What's going on? Surgery on what?'

'I believe he meant surgery on you.'

Rufus turned his head to try to find the person talking to him but found no one.

'Who's there?'

A gentle laughter filled his ears and he felt a hand gently touch his shoulder. Not being used to people touching him, he jerked away from the hand.

'You're quite a jumpy person now aren't you? Don't worry, nothing here can really hurt you.'

He turned around and came face to face with a young woman carrying flowers.

'Alright.' He sighed. 'I get it. I'm dead. I died during whatever surgery he was talking about and you're here to show me around.'

'I'm afraid that's not it at all.' She sighed, 'You're not dead. At least not yet.'

Rufus shook his head. 'What do you mean not yet? I heard that I was in a coma, not that I was _dying_. Did this surgery make me worse? What did I miss?'

Aeris laughed at him again. 'Nothing really. You're on the operating table right at this moment with a 25 percent chance of survival. If it goes well, then in the end you'll be fine and hopefully away from here.'

'You have to forgive me but I still fail to understand why you're here with me right now if I'm not dead. Where _is_ here anyway?'

'You're in the Lifestream. There really is no other way for you to see me otherwise.'

'So...I'm _not_ dead, but I'm still in the Lifestream. How exactly does that work?'

'Well, you're not fully in the Lifestream yet, Rufus.' Aeris confessed. 'More like at the entrance to it. If you keep fighting to get better, then you won't be here long. But you're very injured and honestly, no one here is sure that you'll make it.'

Rufus shook his head at the flower girl. 'You're here because you don't want me in the Lifestream. You want to see me live through this because you don't want me in there. Fair enough. I understand why you wouldn't want me in the Lifestream. It's not like I respected it or anything.'

Aeris simply shook her head. 'No, if you died, I'd welcome you with open arms.'

'Alright,' Rufus looked at her, confused. 'Then you're here with me because...?'

'It's not your time to die and enter the Lifestream. You have things to do back there.'

'Like what?'

Aeris simply smiled. 'I know that you're a very smart guy so I'm sure you'll figure it out in time. You'll probably be here for a while so you'll have a lot of time to think it through.'

Rufus nodded his head, not quite sure that he fully understood what she was telling him. _I'll figure out what I have to do? Alright, if she says so._

'You still didn't answer my question.'

'You're harder to trick then Cloud.' Aeris laughed. 'He wouldn't have noticed that.'

'Yes, well, we both may be blond, but I'm definitely not Mr. Strife. You skipped around the question. Now, why are you here with me? Your place is _in_ the Lifestream, not outside it with me.'

'I happened to be out here when you came by.'

'Ms. Gainsborough, you're avoiding the question again.'

'Alright, forgive me for not answering you the first time. I'm here with you to stop you from looking around.'

Rufus couldn't help but smirk. 'What? Scared that I'll be looking for something to use to make a profit?'

'Not at all.' She replied with a smile. 'You want to go up close to that river over there don't you?'

'Is there a reason why I shouldn't?' He asked her, wondering why she would be stopping him from looking at water.

'Yes there is.' Seeing his confusion, she explained. 'It's not a river, it's the Lifestream. If you go up to it and touch it, with how injured you are, you'll be absorbed into it. When that happens, naturally, your body will die and this part of you will be taken to the Promised Land.'

Rufus did a double take. 'The Promised Land? I searched for it, even my old man searched for it and we didn't find it. I don't believe it exists.'

Aeris laughed at the President. 'Of course it exists, silly. You can only reach it when you die.'

'So there's no overabundance of mako there? What we believed it to be was completely wrong? You mean to tell me that it's only where you go _after_ you die?'

'Yes, that would be what it is. Considering mako comes from the Lifestream, technically there is mako, but no living person can see it. It's only visible to those that have passed on.'

'What's it like?'

'It's different for everyone.' Aeris smiled. 'But there's one part that's the same for everyone; you can be reunited with those that you love that have passed on.'

A thought occurred to Rufus that he hadn't previously thought of. 'Is _he_ here? And is he still wearing that blinding purple suit?'

'Yes, he's here too but don't worry, he's nowhere close to where we are. There is someone else nearby though that I'm sure you'd be happy to see.'

Rufus thought about it for a moment before realizing who she meant. 'You think she'd recognize me? I haven't seen her in years.'

'She's your mother; of course she'll recognize you. Besides, just because you haven't seen her in years doesn't mean that she hasn't seen you.'

Her tone turned serious for a moment. 'Just remember that you'll see things here that will try to trick you into thinking that staying here is what you really want. Deep down, we both know you want to go back. Don't go where she asks you to go; if you do, you'll die. Stay here and don't go closer to that river. You may not make it out a second time around.'

'Second time around?'

'When your heart stopped it was because you went too close to the Lifestream and it was starting to suck you in.' Aeris smiled sadly, 'I managed to pull you out before anything really happened but it won't be that easy the next time around. _Please_, stay away from it.'

Rufus absently nodded, in slight shock that Aeris was the one that saved his life. 'Very well. I'll stay here. Thank you for saving me.'

'You're welcome!' Aeris smiled brightly. 'Like I said, I don't think that it's your time to go. You take care alright?'

'I will, at least as much as I can in this place.'

Aeris handed him a flower. 'When you get bored or lonely, just look at the flower and it will cheer you up alright?'

Rufus nodded and took the flower. 'So what am I going to be doing here? Just waiting to wake up?'

'I'm sorry, but I can't tell you _everything_ that's going to happen. It won't be that bad,' she said, gently touching his shoulder, 'I promise.'

'You'll come back before this is over to see me, won't you?'

Aeris grinned and let go of his arm. 'Of course I will! I would like to say goodbye to you before you go. Just remember, don't wander too close to that river or anything else glowing in green. You won't be able to leave alright?'

With a smile and small wave, Aeris left the President alone again at the entrance to the Lifestream.

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Hopefully it's not _too_ out there and that it didn't scare anyone away!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Sorry it's been so long; I've been drowned with stuff in RL plus my muses have decided to randomly shut up which really doesn't help much. Hopefully this is good enough to make up for it. (crosses fingers)

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Tseng paced in the waiting room, trying to calm his nerves. _Who is he to keep me from doing _my_ job!? Guarding Rufus in these situations is _my_ main responsibility, not his._

Other people waiting for word on their loved ones had entered the waiting room. One glare from Tseng made them quickly retrace their steps and find another room to wait in as far as possible from the Turk. When the last family ran out of the room, he heard someone apologizing for his actions.

'Hey, don't take it personally, yo. If he's going to kill anyone around here, it would be me. You're safe.' After looking into the room and noting Tseng's mood, he decided to change his advice. 'On second thought; just run. He looks like he could kill everyone on this floor.' Reno watched as the family rushed to leave the area and cheerfully called out to them 'I hope whoever you're here for gets better soon! Say hi to them for me! All the best!'

No longer able to delay the inevitable, he entered the waiting room, Tseng stalking up to him, glaring murderously at the red-head.

'What? What did I do!? I wished them the best! You can't kill me for that.'

'I _told_ you to stay out there until Elena was back!' Tseng seethed. 'You're here and she's not, which means that you disobeyed a direct order...'

'Relax dot-man, I waited for her like a good boy. She's just across the hall in the bathroom. You didn't want me to follow her in there did you?' He then grinned wildly. 'Although I do understand where you're coming from. She did just give a lot of blood; what if she passes out and whacks her head!? You're absolutely right; I must go into the ladies' room and rescue her.'

He started to turn and head towards the washrooms when a death-grip on his shoulder stopped him. 'You enter that room Reno, and your life is forfeit. Now get in here, sit down, and shut up.'

Sighing, Reno entered the waiting room, sat down and for once, followed the order to be quiet. He managed to sit still for 5 minutes before he got up and started pacing the room. _Who can ever actually just sit still and be quiet?? Aside from Rufus that is, he seemed to have his ass glued to that office chair..._

The shuffle of shoes on the floor let him know that he and Tseng were no longer alone. 'How are you feeling Elena? Tired? Would you like something to drink?'

Tseng's line of questioning and his obvious concern made Reno smirk and Elena blush. 'I'm feeling fine, sir. A little tired, but otherwise fine. I had some juice after I was done but water would be great right now. Is there a vending machine nearby?'

'No need to worry about it.' Tseng replied. 'Have a seat in the waiting room and I will find a bottle of water for you.'

Reno watched Tseng leave and laughed as soon as Tseng was out of earshot. 'What?' Elena asked confused. 'What's so funny?'

'You're kidding right?' Reno chuckled. 'He's actually going to search the floor for a vending machine just for you and you can't figure out what's so funny. Wow...so what they say about blondes is true. And to think I gave people with your hair color the benefit of the doubt.'

Elena looked down, trying to hide her now dark pink face. 'It doesn't mean _anything_ Reno. He's trying to find things to do to keep his mind off of Rufus. That and he probably wants me to stay here and rest. That's all; nothing more, nothing less.'

Seeing her face turn pink made Reno laugh even harder. 'You seriously don't believe that do you!? Ah man, you two are good for a laugh. Even Rude would get a laugh out of this right now. Accept it; Tseng likes you.'

Reno laughed again and Elena's face and continued. 'Me or Rude could be bleeding to death with our guts hanging out and if we said we wanted some water, he'd tell us to get off our lazy asses and get it ourselves. But you? You give a little blood and he's running all over the floor looking for a vending machine.' He patted Elena on the shoulder. 'If you want to keep thinking that Tseng doesn't like you, be my guest, but some of us know better.'

Elena watched Reno as he resumed his pacing. Eventually she shook her head and sat in the nearest chair, closing her eyes. She re-opened them a few minutes later to find a water bottle in front of her.

Breaking into a smile, she gladly accepted it. 'Thank you, sir. Really though, you didn't have to search for one for me. It wouldn't have bothered me to search.'

'Nonsense, you needed the water and I needed the walk.' Tseng replied. 'It's the least I can do.'

Blushing for the umpteenth time that evening, Elena opened the bottle and looked around the room. 'Where's Rude?'

'With Rufus.' she heard Tseng reply, obviously a little bitter.

'Sir?' Elena quipped, curious about her superior's tone and obvious mood change.

'Rude pretty much kicked Tseng to the curb and went up with Rufus. Tseng's a little pissed about that right now so I'd avoid the topic if I were you.' Reno then shrugged and added, 'I hope you didn't get too attached to Rude though 'Laney; I'm pretty sure that Tseng is going to kill him when he sees him again.'

Elena looked at Tseng, noting the all too familiar death-glare and glad that his temper was directed at another Turk and not at her personally for foiling another mission.

'How long have they been up there?'

'It's been about an hour now, Rookie.' Reno informed her. 'There's still a few more hours left to go before it's all said and done.'

Elena sighed. _Poor guy, I don't think he can make it through a surgery that will take that long._ 'I guess all we can do then is wait?'

'That's basically all that can be done for the moment.' Tseng sighed. 'The doctor will come and inform us of the outcome as soon as he's completed the surgery.'

The three Turks sat in an uneasy silence, impatiently waiting for any updates.

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A/N 2: I threw in the small Tseng/Elena in there because I think that they would go well together. Tseng didn't do the searching for her not just because he was really worried about her (he _was_ though, but he wouldn't admit that!) but because he also needed something to do to stop thinking about Rude, Rufus and the surgery...


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thanks to all that have reviewed! (hugs) Not a ton of things in this one, but slight comic relief from Reno (gotta love him for that!) and filler. Hope you like it!

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A quiet cough brought the three Turks out of their daze. Seeing the doctor in the doorway, Reno jumped out of his seat, anxious to hear the news he was about to give them.

'Well? How is he?' Reno questioned. 'He's not dead, is he?'

The doctor briefly paused for a moment, before beginning to answer the red-head's question. Reno took the silence as bad news and lashed out at the older man.

'He's dead isn't he!? You let him die? We knew it wasn't a good idea to slice him open right now but noooo...you were the doctor. You knew better then us.'

'But he's...' The doctor began, but Reno cut him off.

'What? He's not suffering anymore? Yeah, thanks for having a heart there doc. Now there's a funeral to plan. I hope you're happy.'

The doctor stared in shock at Reno, wondering where he got the idea that the President was dead. Shaking his head, he asked the red-head if he could speak.

'Yeah sure, whatever. Go ahead and tell us how hard you fought to save his life and all that heroic stuff.'

'Reno, shut up and let the man speak.' Tseng snapped. He wanted to hear how the surgery went; something that the red-head was keeping him from finding out. 'Cut him off again and he'll have to operate on you. Understood?'

With a mumbled 'yeah, yeah, whatever', Reno sat back in his chair, glared at the back of Tseng's head, then motioned for the doctor to start talking.

'He's not dead, sir. He's in a recovery room'

'Why didn't you say that in the first place!?' Reno retorted.

'Reno, shut up!' Tseng admonished. 'How badly was he injured? Did you manage to repair all the damage?'

Knowing Tseng for as long as he had, Reno knew the limit of Tseng's patience and knew that Tseng had reached that limit about 10 minutes ago. Knowing that the next thing he would say might result in a bullet wound, Reno did as he was ordered and kept quiet.

'Despite the materia treatment and the potions administered when he arrived, there was still a lot of internal bleeding.' The doctor began. 'We managed to stop the bleeding and patch him up. The blood that the young lady gave us,' he said while nodding in Elena's direction, 'definitely assisted us in keeping him alive through the procedure. The injuries should be healed within the next couple of weeks.'

Tseng nodded, thankful that Rufus was not only still alive, but that he was strong enough to pull through such a delicate surgery.

'What about what you wanted to do with his back?' Elena asked. 'Were you able to have a look at it?'

'Yes, we were able to have a look at it and there was more damage done then what we originally thought.' He sighed. 'We were able to put the pins and plate in place in his lower back, which will help his back be able to carry his weight, but we can't guarantee for certain if or when he'll be able to walk again.'

Reno shook his head. 'So you mean to say you did all that for nothing?'

'No, that's not what I'm saying.' The doctor defended. 'We couldn't see everything on the x-rays. If we wouldn't have gone through with the surgery, we wouldn't have known about the swelling and the pressure that was on his spine. Going in let us see it and alleviate the pressure, which means that he now has a better chance of survival and recovery. As long as he doesn't get an infection, he should be fine.'

'So, will he wake up soon?' Elena asked, hopeful.

'He's still in a coma.' The doctor informed them. 'At this point, it's still hard to say if he'll wake up anytime soon, or at all. I'm sorry. I wish I had better news then this to give all of you.'

'That's fine, doctor.' Tseng informed him. 'You told us he survived the surgery. That in itself is very good news.'

'Is Rude still with him now?' Reno questioned.

'Yes, the other Turk is in standing guard outside of the recovery room right now. He remained out of our way during the entire procedure and did not interfere with our work.' He added while looking directly at Tseng. 'It's something that we must say we greatly appreciated.'

Tseng bit his tongue. He knew that the doctor was referring to him and his interference in the emergency room when Rufus first arrived. Taking a few breaths to calm his nerves, he forced a smile.

'Rude is very good at performing his duties without getting in anyone's way. I am happy to see that his adherence to duty remained intact during this procedure. I'll be sure to pass on your compliment to him.'

Sensing the tension, the doctor simply nodded. 'Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go and check the President's condition as well as tend to other patients. Are there any other questions before I go?'

'Yeah, just one.' Reno started. 'Can we go see him now?'

'He'll be out of recovery in about an hour. I'll come back then and bring you to his room.'

The Turks nodded and watched the doctor exit the waiting room, leaving them alone again.


End file.
